France–Belgium: "We Expect a Difficult Match" — Captain Paul-Henri Mathieu's Warning
On the eve of the Davis Cup quarter-final in Bologna, captain Paul-Henri Mathieu wanted to remind everyone of the danger posed by a Belgian team on the rise and capable of defying all predictions.
The first Davis Cup quarter-final, pitting France against Belgium, will be played tomorrow in Bologna.
The French team, led by their new number one Arthur Rinderknech, will try to hold their ground against a surprising Belgian team, which defeated Australia back in September.
At a press conference this Monday, captain Paul-Henri Mathieu preferred to play the cautious card:
"These are all players who have made enormous individual progress in recent months and who have moved up the rankings.
Beating Australia on their home turf is no small feat. It necessarily comes from a strong team spirit as well. We are truly expecting a difficult match.
Even if there is always a ranking on paper, we know these are players who can perform well above their ranking. In a format like this, a very short one, we will have to be very focused right from the start."
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